Pemberley (Lyme Park, Cheshire)

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

'Come,' said Gabriel, freshening again; 'think a minute or two. I'll wait a while, Miss Everdene. Will you marry me? Do, Bathsheba. I love you far more than common!'
'I'll try to think,' she observed, rather more timorously; 'if I can think out of doors; my mind spreads away so.'
'But you can give a guess.'
'Then give me time.' Bathsheba looked thoughtfully into the distance, away from the direction in which Gabriel stood.
'I can make you happy,' said he to the back of her head, across the bush. 'You shall have a piano in a year or two - farmers' wives are getting to have pianos now - and I'll practise up the flute right well to play with you in the evenings.'
'Yes; I should like that.'
'And have one of those little ten-pound gigs for market - and nice flowers, and birds - cocks and hens I mean, because they be useful,' continued Gabriel, feeling balanced between poetry and practicality.
'I should like it very much.'
'And a frame for cucumbers - like a gentleman and a lady.'
'Yes.'
'And when the wedding was over, we'd have it put in the newspaper list of marriages.'
'Dearly I should like that!'
'And the babies in the births - every man jack of 'em! And at home by the fire, whenever you look up, there I shall be - and whenever I look up, there will be you.'

'Wait, wait, and don't be improper!'
Her countenance fell, and she was silent awhile. He regarded the red berries between them over and over again, to such an extent, that holly seemed in his after life to be a cypher signifying a proposal of marriage. Bathsheba decisively turned to him.
'No; 'tis no use,' she said. 'I don't want to marry you.'
'Try.'
I have tried hard all the time I've been thinking; for a marriage would be very nice in one sense. People would talk about me, and think I had won my battle, and I should feel triumphant, and all that. But a husband...'
'Well!'
'Why, he'd always be there, as you say; whenever I looked up, there he'd be.'
'Of course he would - I, that is.'
'Well, what I mean is that I shouldn't mind being a bride at a wedding, if I could be one without having a husband. But since a woman can't show off in that way by herself, I shan't marry - at least yet.'
'That's a terrible wooden story.'
At this criticism of her statement Bathsheba made an addition to her dignity by a slight sweep away from him.
'Upon my heart and soul, I don't know what a maid can say stupider than that,' said Oak. 'But dearest,' he continued in a palliative voice, 'don't be like it?' Oak sighed a deep honest sigh - none the less so in that, being like the sigh of a pine plantation, it was rather noticeable as a disturbance of the atmosphere. 'Why won't you have me?' he appealed, creeping round the holly to reach her side.
'I cannot,' she said, retreating.
'But why?' he persisted; standing still at last in despair of ever reaching her, and facing over the bush.

'Because I don't love you.'
'Yes, but...'
She contracted a yawn to an inoffensive smallness, so that it was hardly ill-mannered at all. 'I don't love you,' she said.
'But I love you - and, as for myself, I am content to be liked.'
'O Mr. Oak - that's very fine! You'd get to despise me.'
'Never,' said Mr. Oak, so earnestly that he seemed to be coming, by the force of his words, straight through the bush and into her arms. 'I shall do one thing in this life - one thing certain - that is, love you, and long for you and keep wanting you till I die.' His voice had a genuine pathos now, and his large brown hands perceptibly trembled.
'It seems dreadfully wrong not to have you when you feel so much!' she said with a little distress, and looking hopelessly around for some means of escape from her moral dilemma. 'How I wish I hadn't run after you!' However, she seemed to have a short cut for getting back to cheerfulness, and set her face to signify archness. 'It wouldn't do, Mr. Oak. I want somebody to tame me; I am too independent; and you would never be able to, I know.'
Oak cast his eyes down the field in a way implying that it was useless to attempt an argument.

'Mr Oak,' she said with luminous distinctness and common sense, 'you are better off than I. I have hardly a penny in the world - I am staying with my aunt for my bare sustenance. I am better educated than you - and I don't love you a bit: that's my side of the case. Now yours: you are a farmer just beginning, and you ought in common prudence, if you marry at all (which you should certainly not think of doing at present) to marry a woman with money, who would stock a larger farm for you than you have now.'
Gabriel looked at her with a little surprise and much admiration.
'That's the very thing I had been thinking myself!' he naively said.
Farmer Oak had one-and-a-half Christian characteristics too many to succeed with Bathsheba: his humility, and a superfluous moiety of honesty. Bathsheba was decidedly disconcerted.
'Well, then, why did you come and disturb me?' she said almost angrily, if not quite, an enlarging red spot rising in each cheek.
'I can't do what I think would be - would be...'
'Right?'
'No, wise.'
'You have made an admission now Mr. Oak,' she exclaimed, with even more hauteur, and rocking her head disdainfully. 'After that, do you think I could marry you? Not if I know it.'

He broke in passionately: 'But don't mistake me like that! Because I am open enough to own what every man in my shoes would have thought of, you make your colours come up your face, and get crabbed with me. That about your not being good enough for me is nonsense. You speak like a lady - all the parish notice it, and your uncle at Weatherbury is, I have heerd, a large farmer - much larger than ever I shall be. May I call in the evening, or will you walk along with me o' Sundays? I don't want you to make up your mind at once, if you'd rather not.'
'No - no - I cannot. Don't press me any more - don't. I don't love you - so 'twould be ridiculous,' she said, with a laugh.
No man likes to see his emotions the sport of a merry-go-round of skittishness. 'Very well,' said Oak, firmly, with the bearing of one who was going to give his days and nights to Ecclesiates for ever.
'Then I'll ask you no more.'

Thomas Hardy's original proposal scene (because they couldn't put all these wonderful words into the film!)

I was able to see the latest adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Far From The Madding Crowd this weekend (despite it's limited release) and it was wonderful. I am turning into quite a Carey Mulligan fan! Mulligan does an admirable job bring to life one of the first truly modern women in English literature, the fabulously named Bathsheba Everdene. With just the right blend of sauciness and impetuosity she takes us through the difficult journey of a Victorian woman ahead of her time.

Matthias Schoenaerts at first seems an unlikely choice for the solid, trustworthy and aptly named Gabriel Oak. One would think that the mere fact of his Belgian accent would at first rule him out for this quintessentially English character. And yet, even though he occasionally loses his tenuous grip on a West Country accent, he really works in this role. There is a grounded sensual quality to him which is lovely opposite Carey Mulligan's impulsive headstrong Bathsheba.

Michael Sheen as Mr. Boldwood, the middle aged farmer who falls for the valentine joke hook, line and sinker is just perfect. His mad mooning over our heroine hits just the right tone and it certainly feels as if Mulligan's Bathsheba is tempted to put him out of his misery and marry him (if only for that amazing house!).

But of course, what is a gorgeous house compared to a sexy soldier in a scarlet uniform? Especially one who whips out his sword and takes her breath away with her first kiss. Well, if you don't already know how this ends, I shan't spoil it for you.

I have to give a shout out to Jessica Barden who steals a few scenes as sidekick Liddy. Now I have to go back and watch her in the modern day version of FFTMC Tamara Drewe. She was hysterical as the teenage Jody in that little gem! Juno Temple is fine as poor Fanny Robin but has only a few brief scenes. Apparently most of her work ended up on the cutting room floor. Pity.

Thankfully Sparky the dog got lots of screen time however as Old George. :)

In any case this is a wonderful film adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Far From The Madding Crowd. It does suffer from the usual adaptation issues arising from the compression of a novel into less than two hours time, as well as the need to "modernize" the language. I totally understand the need for both so thankfully it will drive many fans back to the original novel as it did for me. In fact I reread the book for the first time in fifteen years before and after seeing the film. Reading it after the film was actually way better! So bravo to all involved. Mission accomplished.

I will be adding this one to my DVD collection with pleasure. Gorgeously filmed and well acted!